afflicted

[ uh-flik-tid ]

adjective

1. greatly distressed or troubled by bodily or mental pain:

   The severity of these symptoms predicts how well the afflicted individuals can live independently and maintain employment.

noun

, (used with a singular or plural verb)

1. Usually the afflicted. a person or persons distressed or troubled in such a way:

   Behind each of these killer diseases is the pain of despair, loneliness, and loss in the lives of the bereaved and the afflicted.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of afflict ( def ).

Other Words From

• af·flict·ed·ness noun
• un·af·flict·ed adjective
• un·af·flict·ed·ly adverb
• un·af·flict·ed·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of afflicted¹

afflict ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Standing before TV cameras, Trump shuddered and stuttered, as if afflicted with palsy, making fun of the journalist whose articles he disliked.

From Los Angeles Times

Hard times have long afflicted the Land of Enchantment.

From Los Angeles Times

Could Tesla, he asked, partner with the city to power the afflicted homes with solar panels and batteries?

From Los Angeles Times

Almost every part of Gaza is afflicted by miserably crowded conditions and nearly nonexistent sanitation infrastructure.

From Los Angeles Times

It may be true, as many progressives hope, that Harris is less afflicted by quasi-imperialist American exceptionalism and less wedded to the neoliberal consensus than Biden or the many Democratic moderates who preceded her.

From Salon

Related Words

• depressed
• stricken